Gabrielle Richards on why features can be copied but feelings can't and how the best campaigns make you forget you're being marketed to.
Do you prefer
brand awareness or performance? What is your preferred marketing channel? In this series, we get to know past Insider Summit attendees and ask about their preferences.
Gabrielle Richards, Brand Director, Shapermint &
Trafelia:
Brand Storytelling or Offer-Driven Messaging: Brand Storytelling. Offers drive
short-term action, but stories drive long-term loyalty. When customers connect with why a brand exists, they don't just buy; they become advocates. The best brands make you feel something before they
ever ask you to buy anything.
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Emotional Connection or Product Benefits: Emotional
Connection. Features can be copied. Feelings can't. Consumers today are making purchasing decisions based on how a brand makes them feel, whether that's empowered, seen, or inspired. Product benefits
get someone in the door; emotional connection is what keeps them coming back.
Subscription Model or One-Time
Purchase: Both (it depends!). This one is truly product-dependent. A subscription model works beautifully when it delivers ongoing value, think replenishment, community, or
personalization. But for high-consideration or seasonal purchases, a one-time model may actually feel more respectful of the customer's autonomy. The key is understanding what creates the most value
for your customer, not just your revenue forecast.
UGC-Style Ads or Polished Brand
Campaigns: Both. You need both at different moments of the funnel. UGC builds trust and relatability; it's peer-to-peer proof that real people love your product. Polished brand
campaigns build aspiration and brand equity at scale. The magic happens when they work together: UGC to convert, brand campaigns to inspire.
Performance Marketing or Brand-Led Growth: Brand-Led Growth. Performance marketing can scale what already exists, but it can't manufacture
desire. Brand-led growth builds the kind of pull that makes performance marketing more efficient over time, lower CAC, higher LTV, and customers who choose you over a competitor even when your price
isn't the lowest.
Data-Informed or Creative-Led Decisions: Both. Data and creativity
aren't opposites, they're partners. Data tells you what's working, where the gaps are, and who your audience really is. Creativity takes that insight and turns it into something that actually moves
people. The best campaigns I've seen start with a sharp data insight and end with a creative idea that makes you forget you're being marketed to.
Scale What Works or Constant Experimentation: Both. Scale gives you efficiency; experimentation gives you evolution. If you only scale what
works, you risk riding a wave until it crashes. If you only experiment, you never build momentum. The discipline is knowing when to double down and when to test something new, and building a team
culture that can hold both at the same time.
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